Membership Work Party Groups

Working with the Enviroment Agency over a number of years the club has been able to limit the affect of fish lice (Argulus) that has badly effected other trout fisheries throughout the UK.

2023 has seen us continue the programme from previous years to reduce the fish lice known as ‘Argulus’. Today like 2021& 2022 (we removed over 200,000 eggs from Lodge lake in 2022) we have not seen any fish deaths from this pest in 2023. A great result and proving all the hard work over 5 plus years has been worth it to our membership.

Programme: From May onwards until Autumn the ‘Argulus Work Party group’ placed, lifted, cleaned, and replaced tubes designed to catch this pest every two weeks on Wednesdays and Saturdays. At the end of this programme for 2021 we had removed over 100,000 eggs from Lodge lake and have not seen a single Trout lost to this pest in 2021 at our Lodge Lake. A brilliant result and the members should be very proud of the work they had done over many years. 2022, we again continued the programme taking a positive attitude and fight to this pest. The success was seen with no fish deaths due to this pest for the second year and reducing numbers of eggs on the tubes through to September. June 2023 we again continued this programme (many thanks to the volunteer members who turn out ever two weeks to clean and reset the tubes.. Your efforts are much appreciated) To date (1st September) we have removed around 90,000 eggs and stopped them from hatching. Emin (club warden) has reported not seeing a single dead fish and members catching also reported good clean healthy fish. We will continue the work parties until water temp drop to below 10º which is believed to be the temperature that stops the Argulus from laying eggs.

Tubes removed for cleaning, with Argulus eggs showing
The white/beige blobs and strings are Argulus eggs. Life cycle is around 12 days to hatch from laying, hence we lift and clean every two weeks

Members playing on the boats….. No, really they were collecting the tubes and bringing them back to the lodge for cleaning

The last work party of 2021 was to rebuild our two benches at Lodge lake in readiness for our late summer open day and also vermin proof Emi’s shed at the lodge…

Barry (club Treasurer) and John (real name Edward, I will let him explain when you meet him) and Roger first destroy then rebuild our two benches at the Lodge

The finished article

Emi’s shed with a new internal floor and base planks replaced. Emi has the paint brush out to finish the job

Lodge Lake car park upgrade:

With the help of some serious machinery kindly brought along by Roger and Ben French both members of the club, short work was made of laying a new top surface at Lodge lake car park.

Ralph, Ben, Roger & Simon (left to right) proudly pose after a great mornings work

2021-A Work party of members created a New Swim at Lodge Lake

Watch your head Mr Dixon……Our Club Chairman is about to cut some branches to create room to cast

Our Club Chairman loves to play with that chain saw!
Well, we did a good job I think

Mr Dixon surveys the days work……. A stunning new swim where no bank angler has ever been able to access, certainly not in the memory of any current member.